Un viaje de interaccion y cooperacion para moviles: Sky: Children Of Light
A new week on the horizon and with it new games to play are on discount, this time maybe Steam has not given me the prices I wanted in big games but it has left many interesting Indies to play in this last sales season, what I'm looking for right now are short and entertaining games and what caught my attention was not an Indie that was on sale but a memory of a game that I previously played on the PS3 and now seemed to have its successor in front of me, and also for free. Journey was an experience that would change the Sony console and the video game landscape in the middle of the last decade, its atmosphere and gameplay are atypical used as a complement to live another of the characteristics of the game, and is that you see, Journey is a contemplative game that can be completed in one sitting but that opens a much wider field of vision for other developers in the industry, the studio that developed it, Thatgamecompany returns then, with a delivery that follows all the guidelines of his first work and doubles the bet now on iOS and Android.
Although Children Of Light has that vibe that emulates the feeling of Journey I think the context is different and yet fascinating, today many video games go through the path that once Journey paved in terms of quiet games or as I like to call them Zen games, quiet adventures with a very good atmosphere or story and that evoke unique feelings at every step, I think the effect of Children Of Light may be a little less in the market but if it strives to make us remember what we experienced in Journey with a bestial technical section even more surprising when we talk about systems like phones and all the challenges that involve creating in this section.
The key difference in Children Of Light is the company and friendship, now we do not travel alone through the desert having to overcome obstacles with our wits, the cooperation factor is very present in this game and is also helped by a gigantic amount of players with whom you can run into in the game and solve each of the puzzles that there are also extra component, interactions that have nothing to do with solving anything, just showing attachment or telling your partner that they did a good job, and while this may seem a bit simplistic to you, the game really shines when played in a group.
The experience is basically about exploring and helping the spirits recover their light that is scattered across 7 realms after an unknown event but even when there is a goal throughout the story the game gives us a certain degree of freedom to explore other challenges and discover the mechanics of the game and how the interaction with other players works, mechanics like flying and most of the platforming we encounter are brilliantly designed and easy to understand in the early stages, combining this with the freedom from the beginning that they give you in which you can take flight and get lost in their scenarios because oh boy, the best thing this game has are their worlds and how they interact with us and the players, the color palette is beautiful at every moment, the designs although I find them somewhat similar here and there with Breath Of The Wild if I think they have a characteristic touch that makes me locate the game immediately.
The sensations of holding the hand of one of these players that can be random and build a friendship while you play seems to me one of the most rewarding experiences of the game, the way it portrays the interactions are very successful but also offers a progress system in which we gain more ways to interact and more ways to find more people, making the game never becomes repetitive although its short duration will always seem that we are facing a new door to open.
It's a game for everyone, that's the only way I can describe it, it works great with friends, family but it has an extra touch when you play it with strangers and you're advancing and clearing the path with your light, plus the game also offers you a huge interactions section that emulates many of today's social interactions.
Also, could we stop for a moment to give a standing ovation that a FREE game, without any micro payments or shit like that is so cool and well built? Because it's unthinkable nowadays for studios to resort to crowfounding and collaborations but somehow the creators have balanced everything and brought to market a great game with capital letters, it's an experience that on mobile a few years ago might seem unthinkable but with the effort of the developers today I can enjoy it, sitting on my couch, and for free. Recommended